This invention relates to message storage systems generally and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the deletion of leading message portions which are devoid of significant message information signals.
Various message storage services which are well known in the prior art require the extemporaneous composition of a message to be stored in a message storage system. For example, call answering equipment connected to a telephone customer's station intercepts incoming calls with a recorded announcement which requests that the calling customer leave a message for later retrieval by the called customer. Often times the calling customer requires some time to mentally compose a message to be stored by the message storage system. Accordingly, the leading portion of many messages are silent or contain no significant message informations signals. If stored, this leading message silence wastes storage space in the message storage system and is annoying to called customers who are retrieving their messages since their messages are separated by potentially long periods of silence. Prior art arrangements delete leading silence by detecting voice signals in messages to be stored and activating a message recorder only after voice signals are detected. Unfortunately, all stored messages are clipped by these prior art arrangements since voice signal detection and recorder activation require a finite amount of time during which voice signals are lost.